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August 31, 2010

Upcycled Boy Hats

Today's tutorial comes from last week's SYTYC entry for the "recycled" theme. I loved this theme and had a hard time narrowing down options. I think refashioning and upcycling is ridiculously fun.

In fact, a little over a year ago I started storing all the old worn-out clothing I had. I love to re-use and transform items in that pile. For this project I pulled out a bunch of old t-shirts and turned them into boy hats. I have a bit of an obsession with boys in hats.

I was able to utilize different parts of the shirts to make the hats more interesting.....button strips....

....and already existing graphics from the shirts.

Then I added a little messy-fun-boyish-look with some easy handstitching.

Depending on the t-shirts you use, this could totally be done in a girly way as well. The hats were easy and fun to make. So.....let's get to the how-to.

You can make these hats pretty warm, by using more than one layer on each pattern part or you can make them more autumn-like and thinner with just one layer of fabric on each part. As all of the fabrics are knits, we will use a zigzag stitch everytime we sew anywhere. Alright?

Here is a basic drawing that will help you understand the three parts that make up the hat.

First, start with a rectangle that will become the top of the hat. The width of the rectangle should be the circumference of your child's head. The smaller hat I made was about 17 inches and fits about a one year old. The larger hat was 20 inches and fits a 5-7 year old. Just wrap that measuring tape around his noggin before you start. (My boys happen to have massive heads. I birthed them, so that fact is very apparent and memorable to me.) The height of the rectangle depends on the size hat you're making. The small one I made 4 inches tall and the large one was 5 inches.

Now that you have your rectangle cut, make marks with a pencil along the top to divide it into fourths. From those marks cut down about 3 inches as shown.

Now mark the middle of those flaps with a pencil and cut curved lines as shown in the drawing above. You'll make the top look like the top of four footballs. You can see what I mean by looking at the picture below, but the lines should actually be a bit more curved. (This one was my first try that didn't turn out perfectly.) Now sew the flaps togther to create a dome. Be sure the seams all go on the inside.

Now on to part two. This next rectangle should be the same width as your first rectangle. Height-wise, you have 2-3 inches to play with here. If you want the hat to fit tightly, probably just 2 inches. If you don't mind it being a bit floppy on top, then you could do 3 inches. Use whatever fabric combos you like. Use as many or as little stripes as you want. You can sew the strips together so that the hem is on the outside of the hat or so that it's hidden. Whatever floats your boat. I did it both ways.

For part three you can click HERE to download and use this free printable PDF file. When the fabric is folded in half lengthwise it will look like part three in the drawing above and the PDF file. The flap is in the middle and the fold of your fabric should be on the right side where the pattern says "front."

After cutting this out, sew it to part 2 and then sew the ends together creating a closed into a loop. Then sew that to part 1. Now you've finished the basic structure of the hat.

Everything else is about the fun boy embellishing. The first thing I did was to cut long strips of knit fabric about an inch wide and I sewed them on as edging. I did not make this fancy bias tape. I merely folded the fabric over the edge and sewed it with a contrasting color of thread. If it's not looking perfect - don't sweat it. You can always trim the edging up once you've sewn it on to make it look nice and even. Just make sure you're sewing through the edging on top and underneath as you get going.

Lastly, I got out my embroidery floss and had some fun. This part is super easy and makes a world of difference. I did some messy stitches over one of the seams and then stitched a star on the smaller hat.

I cut two chevron shapes out and used a fusible adhesive (like heat 'n bond or wonder under) to attach them to the hat. Then I outlined them with my floss and stitched a little bit by the button strip as well, to keep it together.

That's it! Woo-hoo! Who doesn't love a fun boy project? Once you get the hang of it you'll be whipping them out in no time flat. Bring on the cold weather! You're ready!

121 comments:

I love this so much! I can't wait until my kids nap today to try it! I've been making Lil Blue Boo hoodies and dresses, so I'm thinking I can make hats to match them, using the leftover scraps. Thanks for the tutorial!

OK... seriously! This is one of the CUTEST things I've seen for boys! Would you consider selling these? I've got so many pots on the fire right now... I don't know that I would be patient enough for this one. What would you charge if I sent you the shirts?This is GENIOUS!

perfect! I just went through the boys' clothes and pulled out stained things that needed to be renovated, looks like we are making hats this week! especially since its 38 degrees here this morning! You could totally do this for adult boys too!

I love these. I think I'm going to have to make an adult sized version on my next day off. Maybe add a brim. The detailing you do is fantastic. What kind of needle do you use with the floss? I recently used a needle with floss on an art canvas and it was a bear, so your input would be greatly valued.

Oh my GOSH I love this! I have been using my son's old tee shirts to make dresses for my girls, but some of them are just too boyish to make a dress. This is the perfect project for those. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

really adorable and original! I'm linking to you on my international blog linking party, and would love it if you'd drop by and link to something else too! It's a quality get together with some great inspiration! all the best!

I love this! I keep coming back to this post every day thinking that maybe if I read the post one more time I can magically figure out how to sew. So far it hasn't happened. I may end up just having to try, worst thing, I walk across the street and have my quilting momma help me salvage it. Thanks for the pattern, have any sewing ability to spare?

Love, love, love these! I shared them on my blog today! Hope you don't mind! If you do please let me know and I'll take it down! You can see it here:http://oxfordfam.blogspot.com/2010/09/wanna-make-it-wednesday.html

Love it. Thank you for this great post! Both of my kids (boy - 4, girl - 5) just outgrew ALL of their clothes. I will be repurposing some of their clothing into these hats for Christmas gifts. How CUTE!

Hello!I meet your blog in Kireei and it is very interesting. I am from Spain and my English is not very good but, it is not a problem to follow you... This tutorial is very very impresionant and I will try to do this hats for my child.Thanks and best regards!!!

I just stumbled onto your site a short time ago and have decided to make every. single. thing. you have a tutorial for. Lol! I had to start with these hats, though! They're awesome - thank you so much for the tutorial!!!

I LOVE these hats! I made one for my grandson and he is so cute in it...even though it doesn't look as good as yours. I posted about it today and wanted to leave the link. Thank you so much for the tutorial...love your blog.

I love this, however i have a question. when you go to sew the top cap to the bottom. can you instead, sew strips together first, then sew the top of the cap part together? i hate sewing circles so im afraid of the cap being twisted as i sew.

im making one right now (actually almost done) so i will see myself i guess lol

AWESOME idea and such beautiful execution on your part. your hats (and the boys) are beautiful! so glad to see cute boy stuff, its so rare!

LOL i just finished, and lets say that I will have to make another one for my son. the one i made, fits ME lol its probably the fabric which was stretchy but i also added an extra strip on accident. i will post a picture eventually. so funny. my husband just looked at me and said i was nuts. (btw im wearing it)

I so wanta make these hats for my boys, great idea!I'm a new follower, found my way here via Sweet Bee Hollow blog. I'd like to invite you to come check out my blog as well at http://littlebirdseeds.blogspot.com/, and become a follower if you'd like, or just sign up for the Sentsy Candle giveaway at http://littlebirdseeds.blogspot.com/2010/10/scentsy-candles-giveaway.html.Anyhow, thanks again for the fun hat idea.

To say I'm obsessed is a complete understatement! I too am outnumbered! My oldest boy turns 2 on the 22nd and my baby is almost 6 months. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your style and your blog! Thanks for being so great!

Thank you for the great blog! I just love reading about everything you do! I just made your upcycled hat for my boys, you can see them here: http://kh-handcrafts.blogspot.com/2011/03/upcycled-boy-hat.htmlGreetings from snowy and frosty Iceland.

Oh man! I love using t-shirts to make all sorts of things - especially kid hats and girl dresses. But I just love this pattern/idea! I'll be trying this out first thing tomorrow for sure. Thanks so much for sharing.

I loved your tutorial and I decided to post it on my website. You can see it here: http://www.lescreateliers.com/Les_Createliers/Idees_Ideas/Entries/2012/2/16_Chapeaux_en_t-shirtT-shirt_hats.htmlHope you like it!Cheers,Marie-Eve

Thanks so much for this tutorial. It is laid out so well (overall concept first, then detailed directions), it makes it a real pleasure to follow. I just finished a hat for my son, and I have a feeling that one for my daughter isn't far behind! If you want to take a look, it's at http://tinypinecone.tumblr.com/ along with a link to your tutorial. Thanks again!

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